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Monthly Archives: February 2022
Exhibits, galleries, theater and more: Seacoast arts and culture news – Foster’s Daily Democrat
Posted: February 28, 2022 at 8:05 pm
Dover artist wins Catamount Arts juried show prize
ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. - On Friday, Jan. 21, Catamount Arts welcomed artists and patrons on an online gallery tour and awards ceremony for its sixth annual juried show Arts Connect at Catamount Arts. Juried by Katherine French, Catamount Arts Gallery Director Emerita, the exhibition is open through April 10 and showcases outstanding work by emerging and established member artists. Catamount Artsannounced the winners of the show, including Courtney Sanborn of Dover.
Courtney Sanborn, of Dover, N.H., won Second Prize for her provocative embroidered fiber art triptych, Baby Jakes, the Expulsion and Bountiful Harvest. Third Prize was awarded to Mary Rowley-Hall, of Hardwick, Vt., for her exquisitely crafted folded paper collage, Starry Night, inspired by the work of Van Gogh. A Fourth Prize was awarded this year to James Dye, of Worcester, Mass., for his intricate and graphic pen and ink drawing, Citadel of the Roach Queen.
For more information about this exhibit and other arts events hosted by Catamount Arts in St. Johnsbury, Vt., please visit http://www.catamountarts.org.
EXETER Lamont Gallery at Phillips Exeter Academy will hostInforming Memory: Process, Place, and Notion.If memory refers to the process of acquiring, storing, retaining, and retrieving information, what becomes of the information that takes up residence in our hearts in our minds? What do wechoose to remember and why? Thirteen Phillips Exeter Academy alumnae featured in,Informing Memory: Process, Place, and Notioncollectively explore these themes as they share their work and art making process. The result - a landscape of mind and place stretched out before our eyes. This reflection of gathered memories, notions of self and environment both real and imagined, offers us an opportunity to ground ourselves in our own unique search and journey to those intricate spaces within, challenging us to be intentional and present within our own thoughts and experiences.
Visit the Lamont Gallery website to learn more about the exhibit, make reservations and find out about additional events and educational programming:www.exeter.edu/lamontgallery.
BERWICK, Maine - Anne Vaughans artwork once again returns to the Berwick Public Library with a new exhibit of her oil paintings, through April.
Vaughan says her large landscapes are inspired by local scenes, the Little River near her Berwick home among them. During the COVID pandemic, she has painted still-lifes in her studio, inspired by the painters of elaborate containers and native pottery.
Vaughan has lived in Berwick for 10 years, but had a former life there for 10 years in the 1960s. She has also lived in Pennsylvania and Georgia, working as an attorney representing people in poverty to gain access to public benefits. She also worked as a congressional aide and became a guide for the Philadelphia Museum of Art where her exhibits included Andrew Wyeths last show.
Previous shows of her work have taken place at Riverstone, the Kittery Art Association, Seacoast Moderns, Vibe Gallery, Blackbird Studio and Gallery, the Franklin Gallery, Berwick Art Association, local libraries and shops.
Vaughan said, I have been fortunate for this community to be committed to painting and the crafts related to it.
The Berwick Public Library is located at103 Old Pine Hill Road, Berwick, Maine. The librarys telephone number is 207-698-5737, and it is on the Web atwww.berwick.lib.me.us.Email info@berwickpubliclibrary.org.
BERWICK, Maine - Musical instruments have been added to the books, audio books and movies available for lending at the Berwick Public Library. The Continuum Arts Collective has provided musical instruments to the Berwick Public Library and the D.H. Hurd Library in North Berwick.Patrons can check out the instruments from the libraries for the typical three-week lending period.
For further study, student artists and musicians in Maine and New Hampshire can apply to the CAC for free musical instruments and music lessons, art supplies and art lessons, and experiential opportunities to flourish as creators. Teachers, parents, school administrators and friends may apply for any of the items on behalf of a student, or students to apply directly.Go to the Continuum Arts Collective web site,continuumarts.org.
The Berwick Public Library is located at103 Old Pine Hill Road, Berwick, Maine. The librarys telephone number is 207-698-5737, and it is on the Web atwww.berwick.lib.me.us.Email info@berwickpubliclibrary.org.
EXETER The Seacoast Artist Association in Exeter is back open Wednesdays through Sundays in March and presents two new Body of Work exhibits, along with a new theme show challenge.
Just in time for St. Patricks Day,N.H. artist and writer Karen Desrosiers shows her oil paintings of Ireland in her Celtic Spring.It has been said that wherever you stand in Ireland you will see at least 40 shades of green. This is never more true than in spring, when the land and sky come alive.The heart and soul of Ireland and the Irish people shine through the beautiful, rugged landscapes, the brightly painted buildings, the ancient architecture, and the wild flora (not to mention the beer). I have long been attracted and addicted to all things Irish and Celtic.Themes of the Irish culture feature heavily in my artwork.I love color and texture and the expression that I am able to get with them.I paint primarily with oils, in an impressionistic manner, applying thick textures and rich color, in a process that has an element of building to it, beyond painting, maintaining the brushstrokes, and creating work that is almost 3-dimensional. Mixing my own colors is one of my favorite parts of the painting process and enables me to strive for those 40 shades of green in my work.My paintings are based on and inspired by photographs Ive taken during my trips to Ireland and other Celtic countries.
While Desrosiers has taken art classes since early childhood, she is also self-taught.She has been actively involved in the Seacoast area arts community for over 20 years and now owns Lane House Arts Center in Hampton, where she has her studio.In addition to painting, Desrosiers enjoys working in a variety of mediums, both 2D and 3D, as well as photography.When shes not creating art, she is a university writing professor and freelance writer in fiction and non-fiction.
Those who have my tree paintings in their homes tell me of the healing feelings and peacefulness they provide, says Epping artist Margaret Bowlus-Serino, MSTD, about her Body of Work show The Healing Power of Trees.I have painted at least 75 trees.Trees provide healing from my prayers when I paint because they offer such a blessing of positivity through their connections.Trees connect to each other and communicate to help each other.It is my prayer that people could replicate that behavior. Bowlus-Serino was born and raised in Albion, Pa., where her talented father taught her about art and media and fostered her creativity from a very young age.Over the years, I have had much support and encouragement from mentors, friends, and family.I also experienced plenty of 'dangers, toils, and snares' (words from Amazing Grace).This song and its truth describe my experiences and motivation well, thus becoming the name of my business: Amazing Grace Arts.I pray for each recipient as I paint, and, I have been told this is a healing energy. Bowlus-Serino has exhibited at Market Square Day and the Berwick Craft Show; StarCrafts, Black Widow and Pleasant Street Barn all in Epping; Seacoast Crafters in Somersworth; the Red Barn in Durham, Conn.; and the libraries in Epping and Plaistow.
Black and White is the March challenge of the popular SAA monthly theme show and will have everything from oils paintings to watercolors and monotypes to dramatic photography.The 29 SAA exhibiting artists have also all just put up new artwork, and when you visit Wednesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, from 1 to 4 p.m., you will always meet one of them.
The Second Friday eve receptions return onMarch 11, from 5 to 7 p.m.They are not able to safely offer refreshments inside the gallery yet, but you can see all the wonderful new art and meet the artists. Thank you for continuing to wear masks inside. The gallery is at 130 Water St., in Exeter. Parking in Exeter is free. See more atseacoastartist.organd follow them on Facebook.
DOVERDover Arts Commission seeks local artists and businesses for the next round of Dover Art Beat exhibits and urges the public to visit the current Art Beat installations.
The Dover Arts Commission's Art Beat program encourages local businesses to display local art, provides area artists with alternative venues to show work, and gives the public more opportunities to experience art. The program collaborates with local businesses, the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce and Dover Main Street to connect business and visual artists.
Participating Art Beat businesses have found the exhibits to be a positive experience. Dupont's Service Center is currently exhibiting its second Art Beat installation with artist Alicia Milewski.
"Alicia's work has brightened our waiting room and given theplacea new look," said Dave Dupont. "Thank you for allowing my business toparticipate in the Art Beatprogram."
How the Dover Art Beat program works:
Artists join the Dover Art Beat roster by uploading their information to the link below.
Businesses select an artist to partner with from the Art Beat artist roster. No space is too small for an exhibit!
Arts Commission connects artists and businesses.
Both parties sign contracts stipulating terms of the exhibit.
Exhibits run for a minimum of four months.
Any sales generated by the exhibit require a 20% commission to the business.
Artists will receive a $100 stipend from the business for exhibiting their work.
Current exhibits include:
Alicia Milewski's work displayed at Dupont's Service Center, 28 Sumner Dr.
Amy Issa's work at Armour 24 Hair Salon & Spa, 33 Main St.
Exhibit going up this month:
Heather Bartle at The Leddy Group, 114 Locust St.
Artists:To be considered for the next round of Art Beat exhibits, submit your information by March 31, tohttps://form.jotform.com/220248205365147.
Businesses:To participate in the next round of Art Beat exhibits, email your business name and contact information toArtsCommission-All@dover.nh.govby March 1.
For more information, contact the Dover Arts Commission via email atArtsCommission-All@dover.nh.gov.
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what is it and what utilities does it have to use in the router – D1SoftballNews.com
Posted: at 8:05 pm
Now, the fact of being able to take advantage of the OpenWrt firmware more or less will depend on our device. The more powerful it is, the more applications we can install. We can make even our Wi-Fi work better by using more of the available resources and improving the firmware that comes out of the box.
After explaining what exactly OpenWrt is and getting a general idea of how it works, lets take a look at some utilities you have. In this way we can make the most of our router and make it work better and even install it on a device that we have not used. If, for example, you have an old ADSL router that you no longer use because it has fiber optics, it can be a very interesting option.
One of the uses that you can give to OpenWrt is to be able to move certain tasks that you make on your computer, to the router. Instead of having the PC on to perform some tasks such as downloading or uploading files to the cloud, we can take advantage of the router and do the same without having two devices on at the same time.
In addition, the electricity consumption will be lower. After all, it is a device that consumes less. Think of traveling the same distance with a truck or a motorcycle. Which one consumes less? The same in the case of using the router compared to the consumption of a computer.
You can too turn the router into a server. This way you can access wirelessly or by cable. You can connect a hard drive and store information and have it as if it were a NAS, something that is very interesting nowadays to always have everything available. A way to save money and not have to buy an additional device.
For example, you can save media files and play videos from TV or computer. You can do this on your old router and give it a second life instead of having it stored unused or even getting rid of it.
Another utility that OpenWrt allows on the router is to be able to turn it into a Bittorrent client. In this way, instead of downloading files to the computer you can do it directly from the router. You will have to configure it and allow downloads directly to the hard drive you connect.
You can do the same thing by turning it into a web server. There you can host content, for example images or videos that you want to store, and be able to access it from anywhere. It is an alternative to having to use a third-party service, which is often paid or very limited.
Do you have printers connected to the network? One more alternative that the OpenWrt firmware allows is to turn your router into a print server. In this way, you can achieve that all your printers are properly connected to the network in one place. There are official manuals that explain step by step how you can achieve it.
The purpose of this is to be able to print from other devices. You would simply have to access the print server and send the documents you want to have printed there. It is something very useful for your printers.
You can also turn your router into a VPN server. This way you can connect securely to the local network from anywhere. For example, if you are connected from your mobile to a public Wi-Fi network and you want to prevent them from spying and collecting the information you send if that network is not secure.
The use of VPN is very common and there are many applications for both computer and mobile. However, we can also configure a VPN server on the router itself and OpenWrt plays an interesting role there. It is one more alternative that you can take into account for your old router and give it a second use.
We have seen that the OpenWrt firmware is an alternative to the one that comes with your router from the factory. You can use it even in old ADSL models. In this way you will be able to achieve certain utilities, as we have explained, and give an old device a second life or squeeze more of the one you currently have.
However, you should keep in mind that you cannot install it on all. In fact, you will have to check if the router is compatible or not. However, there is one lots of models They do accept installation. For example we can see many from ASUS, AVM, Comtrend, D-Link, devolo, Netgear, Xiaomi or Linksys, to name a few of the most popular brands.
As we have seen, it does not matter if your router is old. Even if it is ADSL, you may have compatibility to install OpenWrt. You just have to make sure that that specific model is compatible and install the firmware to take advantage of all the resources it has.
You can see the complete list of all openwrt compatible routers. There you will find all the brands and each of the models in which you can install it. As you will see, there are about 2,000 models for which you can install it. A more than significant figure and that shows us that we can take advantage of the old router quite probably.
However, not all models are compatible with all versions. That will depend on the ability each. It is important to take into account what the minimum specifications are and thus install the version that suits you. However, we always recommend having the most recent one possible, to make the most of the resources and also avoid certain security problems.
In short, installing the OpenWrt firmware is a very interesting option to make the most of the router and even use an old device that we have at home without us using it. You will have multiple possibilities, such as the ones we have mentioned to create a server, use a Bittorrent client or a print server.
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what is it and what utilities does it have to use in the router - D1SoftballNews.com
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Ten year transformations: What the UK YouTubers you watched growing up look like now – The Tab
Posted: at 8:05 pm
The 1 challenge backlash really aged Alfie, didnt it?
The British YouTube scene peaked in 2012 and absolutely no one can convince me otherwise. PointlessBlog and Zoella were thriving and so were Jim and Tanya who had already been dating for five years at that point. Since this time, though, our favourite creators have been THROUGH IT. Seriously, theres been two big break ups, one divorce, Oli Whites brother went MIA for a bit, Alfie Deyes was cancelled for his 1 challenge video and three of them became parents for the first time. Its been a wild decade. Here are their transformations over the last ten years, starting with our Primark haul queen, Zoella.
Zoella, now turned Zoe Sugg, created her channel back in 2009. Since then its just gone from strength to strength. Obviously the biggest difference between her then and now is the fact shes given birth to a baby! This is something 12-year-old me would be stunned by because I purely used to watch her for the Primark videos and now Im a motherhood expert thanks to her content.
Similar to Zoella, Alfie uploaded his first YouTube video in 2009 and since then the rest is history. Alfie and Zoe went official and public in 2013 and then in August last year they welcomed Ottilie, their first baby. Besides being a dad, Alfie has probably had one of the biggest glow ups over the years. He was temporarily cancelled a few years back for that 1 video and honestly, I think him being a dad was what fully revived his career.
Caspar started uploading onto YouTube in 2011. Hes a classic vlogger, prankster and pretty took on any challenge in his prime. He also hasnt uploaded to his channel in two years but seems to be living a sensational life with his model and Exeter Uni graduate girlfriend Ambar Driscoll. His transformation is mad, and its mainly noticeable in his personality because he has grown up sooooo much.
I think its WILD Joe Sugg is 30-years-old and therefore older than Alfie Deyes it doesnt sit right with me. Anyway, Joe Sugg began his YouTube career in 2012 and he gives off big dad vibes now even though hes not had a child. In my mind hes still in 2014 and living with Caspar but in reality hes been dating Strictly Come Dancing pro Diane Buswell in 2018 Jadore them.
Marcus last upload was In Bed With Jack Whitehall which he posted three years ago before ditching his channel. He now posts very boujee looking pictures taken abroad alongside his model girlfriend of six years, Stefanie Giesinger. In 2013 Marcus Butler dropped this filthy track on us and I dont think the internet has ever been the same since.
Tanya uploaded her first YouTube video in 2009 but hasnt uploaded a video in the last two years. In the space of ten years she does look very different which makes sense considering all of the life experience shes had. I would still very much like to know what happened to Martha.
34-year-old Jim Chapman married Tanya Burr in 2015 until their very public divorce in 2019. Since then hes got engaged to model Sarah Tarleton and theyve welcomed their first baby. Not going to lie, Jim looks exactly the same and maybe thats because hes always been a 34-year-old man at heart?
Eleven years ago Louise uploaded the video titled Im pregnant with Baby Glitter (who we now know as Darcy) since then shes divorced, remarried and had her second child. In 2016 she ditched Sprinkle of Glitter and said her name was more mature for her channel. She looks very different from the good old days when she and Zoe would do Primark hauls and makeovers.
He joined YouTube in 2012 and uploaded his first ever video titled Fresh start. He posted a lot of videos with his younger brother James who went MIA briefly but made his comeback this year saying he just got involved with the wrong crowd. Oli started dating his girlfriend, Evie Marcer, back in 2017 and often still hangs around with Joe Sugg.
Even though Gabriella joined YouTube in 2013, she made a big impact on the fan base and for that reason alone she deserves a mention. Her videos with Zoella were iconicand will go down in history. I will not know peace until we find out what actually happened between her and Zoella.
Niomi started her channel after graduating from university with a law degree. Gone are the days when Niomi and Marcus were a YouTube power couple. The pair split back in 2015 and since then she kind of went off grid from the YouTuber scene but she still uploaded content!
Matilda the musical is taking over TikTok and everyone seems to have been cast in it
Very good very nice: Everything you need to know about Tenerifes most cherished vendor
Youre officially old if you score full marks in this iconic noughties lyrics quiz
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Adobe Creative Cloud Express Review – PCMag
Posted: at 8:05 pm
Digital is the new default. Everything happens on a screen, Adobe proclaims. Perhaps not everything, but with sharp tools like Creative Cloud Express, even non-designers can create screen-based, multimedia and social graphics faster and, most importantly, better. The graphic design software companys new web-based, template driven app will meet the needs of many who either want to try their own hand at design or cant afford bespoke professional design services.
As a seasoned design professional, I dont believe that more and faster are necessarily viable partners with extraordinary and inventive when it comes to design results. That said, most folks wont be creating profoundly innovative graphics with Expressand thats the point. Express isnt as much about creating great design as it is about making easy, ephemeral communications with trendy graphics, cool photos and illustrations, and expressive type styles.
Adobe Creative Cloud Express replaces the companys Adobe Spark product (though the Spark Video and Spark Web apps remain). It competes with other simplified, template-based tools such as Canva. A key benefit of Express is having access to your Creative Cloud libraries and the suites collaboration and sharing features.
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Creative Cloud uses a freemium model. You can use the product for free, but you get more features and content when you pay, in this case a $9.99 per month for a subscription.
If you love the free version, its probably worth it to upgrade to the paid subscription because of all the added benefits. They include access to premium features in the Photoshop Express mobile app (iOS and Android); Adobe Spark Video (iOS) for video slideshows; Adobe Spark Page (iOS) for quick web publishing; and Adobe Premiere Rush, the mobile and desktop app for shooting, editing, and sharing videos. In addition, you get access to Creative Cloud Libraries, 100GB of online storage, all premium templates, stock photos (160 million), fonts, and branding tools.
By design, its supposed to be easy to get going in Creative Cloud Express. All you need are an internet connection and a web browser either on a desktop PC or mobile device. To access the app, you create or sign in to an Adobe account. You can do everything in the web browser, but there are also apps available on the Apple App Store, Google Play, and the Microsoft Store for Windows apps, all of which simply replicate the web version.
I decided that my first project would be to create a mock Instagram story for the Mary Todd SPCA. I have my cute photo of my cat, Mary Todd, and my message ready to go.
Jumping on to the welcoming Adobe Creative Cloud Express site, Im reminded of its earlier incarnation, Adobe Spark. The site cheers me on with a personalized message to create confidently, share fearlessly, and then shows me a number of template categories. You can select a format preset for an Instagram story or post, Facebook post, poster, logo, flyer, collage, book cover, album cover, rsum, invitation, and more. You can also create your own templates.
Toward the bottom of the screen are quick editing actions you can use rather than starting with a template. They're commonly desired editing, formatting, or file conversion functions, such as Remove Background, Resize Video, and Convert to PDF. At the very bottom is a thumbnail inventory of recent Express projects if you have any (or Spark projects, in my case). Along the left you see a similar interface to other Adobe apps home screens, including a lightbulb-shaped Learn button in case you want some tutelage.
After selecting the Instagram story format, my options are to use a predesigned template or start from scratch. I select a template. I want to swap the template's photo for one of my own, but I run into trouble when I select what looks like the photo of the woman and click Edit. What Id really selected was the heart frame, but now the Undo arrow is grayed out and the undo keyboard shortcut (Cmd-Z or Ctrl-Z) has no effect. I press X to cancel and begin again. This time the window has an editing panel.
When I click replace, it displays more stock images and doesnt offer me the option of uploading my own. To do that, I need to go to the Photos button where I see the desired Upload photo optionbut when I upload my picture it becomes the background and not the central image. You need to be precise with selections. Once I get it right, my replacement photo uploads, but it doesnt replace the template image in the heart. Sigh.
This time I see the expanded layers thumbnail in the lower right which was condensed when I started. Now I can double-click on the layer with the photo I want to replace, ungroup it, and re-upload. Success! I'm feeling encouraged, so I change the color of the frame and choose a new typeface for my message. A glitch on the site somehow makes my S key no longer recognized, so I figure out a copy-and-paste workaround.
At last I have my template edited and customized, and after having overcome some pitfalls, I know that my next encounter with Express will be faster and more efficient.
Adobe Creative Cloud Express lets you make custom templates.
You certainly dont have to work from a template if you find it too limiting, as I did. Sometimes its faster to start from scratch rather than spend time changing and undoing a bunch of content that's already there. In addition to the template categories mentioned above, Express has no shortage of assets for you to play with. Here are the category buttons at the left of the browser and some items in each selection:
Under the Text button are text styles that are perfect for social posts, logos, seasonal stylings, body copy, signs, labels, and quotes. You can also add your own.
Next is Photos, which is divided into sections inspired by wellness, seasons, people, backgrounds, travel, and pets. Free images are included.
Upon clicking the Icon button, you need to enter a word in the search field. I entered "bee" and found hundreds of great black and white images.
Clicking Design assets provides you with even more goodies, including categories for effect groups, illustrations, brushes, frames. Each category has several subcategories which are great for further inspiration. In fact, I was compelled to have another try, this time from scratchI even animated the text.
A new project: Note the layers stack on the bottom right. Clicking on a layer selects the corresponding element in your image.
You may be relieved to know that, unlike some web-based apps, the commands buried in your muscle memory because you use them all the time translate seamlessly to this web app. For me, the nudge keys (arrow keys) are as indispensable as the undo keyboard shortcut, and both are present in Express. The delete button and the key command to pan work too. However, some popular keystrokes dont, like copy and paste.
Simple text animation features, somewhat resembling those in PowerPoint and Keynote, are really exciting. Under the Animation button to the right of the window are Typewriter, Dynamic, Flicker, Color shuffle, Fade, and Slide. Each option has two or three sub-options.
You can produce simple animated the text using the Flicker option.
Also animatable (sort of) are photos. At the bottom of the Animation panel you find Zoom, Pan, Grey, Blur, Color, and Fade. These dont actually animate your photos in the traditional sense. Rather, they alter or move the whole photo, reminiscent of the famous Ken Burns effect. Sadly, you can use only a single animation effectthere's no combining them for now.
The Video and Web page options are largely the same as they were under the Spark moniker, though now with the addition of explicit new tools to resize, trim, merge, crop, and change the speed of video and the super-handy convert to MP4 or GIF options.
I had been a fan of Adobe Spark Page, since its 2015 launch. I'd used it professionally for clients who wanted a simple ancillary scrolling web page and who didnt mind the non-negotiable Adobe URL that came with it. My workaround was to hide the URL under a hyperlinked button for convenient user access. Although typography and animation features are limited, Express scrolling glide shows and other dynamic photo effects still allow you to make and tell an evocative story quite easily.With the paid version, you can store, manage, and share multiple brands basic assets, like logos, color palettes with hex codes, and typefaces.
I want to underscore that entry-level creativesyes, everyone has the capacity to be creativecan actually learn a thing or two from Creative Cloud Express because it provides nearly fail-safe guardrails for experimenting with professionally built components. For example, in Express you cannot mangle type by stretching or distorting it disproportionally. So just by dint of that, the novice is way ahead of the game with this tool.
Veteran typophiles may be troubled with the lack of OpenType features or smart punctuation. They need to remember this app was not made for them.
You get some control over typographic finessing, including the ability to make line breaks using a soft return (Shift-Enter), and leading and kerning (letter spacing) parameters you can fuss with. But OpenType features or smart punctuation arent part of it. In this case its good to know the key configuration for a curled apostropheOP-Shift-] on Mac or Alt-0146 on Windows.
Hopefully the next iteration will have improved animation features, and maybe toss in some business-based templates geared for non-social media visuals like charts, graphs and other infographics.
Surprisingly robust are the apps image and photo enhancement features that adjust contrast, brightness, saturation, highlights, shadow, warmth, and sharpnessand other tools and filters that control blur, color, and grayscale. Additionally, youll find blending modes (limited to just normal, multiply and screen) and basic masking capabilities.
Feedback I've heard on Express has been positive, so perhaps I was overcomplicating things when I first started with it, or if I was too ready for the interface and operations to work more like Illustrator or Photoshop. Either way, Im having fun with it now, as many others are.
Express is certainly of high value to those who simply need to get out a visual message quickly and effectively but don't care about precise control over every aspect of their design. Professional designers who are used to pro apps (Adobe's Illustrator and InDesign or those from Affinity and Corel), which give you unlimited options for building your vision, will find it lacking and at times frustrating.
Creative Cloud Express nevertheless offers a stunning suite of multimedia content-making and editing toolsas long as deep tweaking isn't required. You also must be willing to muscle through some unintuitive points of the user experience, like clumsy object-selection and an undo button that isn't always ready to go. Express will never replace experienced, professional designers (including the experts Adobe hires to conceive and create all those good-looking and strategically flexible templates), but it surely will help others populate our digital world with appealing, more polished-looking content.
Fluid templates and many stock assets
Powerful and useful image and video editing features
File conversion capabilities
Includes 2GB (free) and 100GB (paid version) of cloud storage
Not intuitive at first if you're used to Creative Cloud desktop apps
Unexpected menus show up after certain actions
No new functionality in the webpage category (formerly Spark Page)
Geared for non-designers, Creative Cloud Express is a capable and welcoming template-based tool for creating attractive online content quickly. If youre already a Creative Cloud user, the interface and operations may feel a bit alien at first, and you cant access it from your Creative Cloud app.
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Ukraine War Tests the Power of Tech Giants – The New York Times
Posted: at 8:04 pm
Telegrams experience illustrates the competing pressures. The app is popular in Russia and Ukraine for sharing images, videos and information about the war. But it has also become a gathering ground for war misinformation, such as unverified images from battlefields.
On Sunday, Pavel Durov, Telegrams founder, posted to his more than 600,000 followers on the platform that he was considering blocking some war-related channels inside Ukraine and Russia because they could aggravate the conflict and incite ethnic hatred.
Users responded with alarm, saying they relied on Telegram for independent information. Less than an hour later, Mr. Durov reversed course.
What is at the root of this invasion? Russia considers Ukraine within its natural sphere of influence, and it has grown unnerved at Ukraines closeness with the West and the prospect that the country might join NATO or the European Union. While Ukraine is part of neither, it receives financial and military aid from the United States and Europe.
Are these tensions just starting now? Antagonism between the two nations has been simmeringsince 2014, when the Russian military crossed into Ukrainian territory, after an uprising in Ukraine replaced their Russia-friendly president with a pro-Western government. Then, Russia annexed Crimeaand inspired a separatist movement in the east.A cease-fire was negotiated in 2015, but fighting has continued.
How has Ukraine responded? On Feb. 23, Ukraine declared a 30-day state of emergencyas cyberattacks knocked out government institutions. Following the beginning of the attacks, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraines president, declared martial law. The foreign minister called the attacks a full-scale invasion and called on the world to stop Putin.
Many users asked us not to consider disabling Telegram channels for the period of the conflict, since we are the only source of information for them, he wrote. Telegram did not respond to a request for comment.
Inside Meta, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, the situation has been chaotic because of the volume of Russian disinformation on its apps, said two employees, who were not authorized to speak publicly. Russian experts on Metas security team, which identifies and removes state-sponsored disinformation from Facebook and Instagram, have been working around the clock and communicating regularly with Twitter, YouTube and other companies about their findings, the two employees said.
Metas security team has long debated whether to restrict Sputnik and Russia Today, two of Russias largest state-run media sites, on its platforms or label their posts so they clearly state their source. Russia Today and Sputnik are critical elements in Russias disinformation and propaganda ecosystem, according to a January report from the State Department.
Meta executives had resisted the moves, saying they would anger Russia, the employees said. But after war broke out, Nick Clegg, who heads global affairs for Meta, announced on Monday that the company would restrict access to Russia Today and Sputnik across the European Union.
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Google’s Sundar Pichai Just Announced a $100 Million Educational Fund. It Might Mean the Beginning of the End for College. – Inc.
Posted: at 8:04 pm
A few days ago, Sundar Pichaiannounceda $100 million Google Career Certificates fund. It's got nothing to do with college education, and instead, focuses on giving up-and-coming data analytics, IT, project management, and UX design students the tactical tools needed to start their careers with a bang.
It follows in a long line of similar efforts by coding bootcamps across the country and online educational portals like Udemy and Coursera.
To all of this I say: Thank goodness.
Now,I'm not advocating for the dissolution of higher ed and wholesale replacement by the programs noted above, but we need to take ahard look at theprice tag -- and inaccessibility --of a college degree.
According toU.S. News & World Report, the average cost of tuition and fees to attend a ranked public college in state during the 2021-22 school year comes to roughly $10k. Out-of-staters can expect to pay closer to $23k. Those enrolled at private schools are looking at around $38k.
Over four-and-a-half years -- theaverage amount of timeit takes to complete an undergraduate degree -- total tuition comes to between $45k and $171k. Meanwhile,starting salariesare mostly in the $50k range, much of which is eaten up by housing, life essentials, and student loan payments. That doesn't leave much room to get ahead financially.
Compare this toGoogle Professional Certificates, highly regarded in the tech field, which run around $230 or so per course. For many, the choice isa no-brainer.Whilesome sourcesargue these are best used to amplify an undergraduate degree -- not replace it --the low cost to entry and Google's connection to more than 140 companies make it easy to get your foot in the tech door.
So is it just a way to hone technical skillswhile you finish your undergrad degree? Not necessarily.Many big-name tech companiesaren't even requiring a bachelor's for hire. Why? As IBM's VP of Talent Joanna Daleytold CNBCa few years back, they were more interested in candidates with hands-on experience.
Daley isn't alone. ElonMusk has famously saidthat applicants don't need a college degree to work at Tesla -- he looks for ability and a track record of achievement.Others, like formerCEO Daniel Schwartzof Restaurant Brands International (parent company of Burger King) say he's most interested in people willing and able to learn.
Companies have two roles to play in education. The first is changing hiring strategy so the door is opento those with potential but who may not have the funds to subsidize their own degrees. Financial support for completing that degree after hire goes a long way, too.
But you can also shape the educational world yourself. If you have the expertise and resources within your company, you can offer training and development that allowunder-indexed talent to enter the workforce with key skills. If you give them that foundation, you also engender loyalty -- theywill more likely stick around to help build your company.
Lay the groundwork now. Start small with seminars, labs, field training. Begin to shape cohesive programs that demonstrate competency in important skills. As you do, keep the door open to those who are willing to learn, who have a record of achievement, and the desire to succeed.
Whatever the course of higher education, your efforts to upskill talent can only empower, uplift, and support those who want to advance their careers -- without forcing them to pile on debt.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
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Some Russian bank customers have been cut off from Apple Pay and Google Pay – The Verge
Posted: at 8:04 pm
Customers at a number of banks in Russia can no longer use their bank cards with Google Pay and Apple Pay due to newly-imposed financial sanctions on the country, as reported by Insider. According to a press release from Russias Central Bank, affected financial institutions include VTB Group, Sovcombank, Novikombank, Promsvyazbank, and Otkritie FC Bank.
While customers can still use bank cards from these institutions within Russia, theyll no longer work abroad or when making online payments to stores and services belonging to countries that issued sanctions on Russia. This also includes card payments through Apple Pay and Google Pay, although the Central Bank says contactless payments will still be available with the bank cards themselves, given that they support it.
Google and Apple didnt immediately reply to The Verges request for comment.
Several countries have imposed financial sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. According to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, sanctions issued by the European Union target 70 percent of Russias banking network. The US has put sanctions on Sberbank and VTB Bank, two of Russias biggest financial institutions, while the UK froze the assets of five Russian banks.
According to statistics recorded in 2020, Russias most popular online payment service was the Russia-owned Sberbank Online, followed by YooMoney (formerly Yandex Money) and QIWI, two other Russian payment service providers. At the time, 29 percent of Russians reported using Google Pay, while 20 percent used Apple Pay this doesnt account for their popularity as forms of contactless mobile payments, however.
Additionally, the US and Europe have blocked some Russian banks from SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), the financial system used to communicate transactions across the globe, and are also moving to directly impose sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Correction February 27th 8:00AM ET: A previous version of the story stated that Sberbank Online and YooMoney are the two most popular mobile payment services in Russia, when they are actually the two most popular online payment services in Russia. We regret the error.
Update February 27th 8:00AM ET: Updated to add that some Russian banks are now blocked from SWIFT.
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Aksesmu Collaborates with Google Cloud to Help Warung Owners Digitalize Their Businesses and Make a Comeback Amidst the Pandemic – Google Cloud
Posted: at 8:04 pm
Aksesmu Collaborates with Google Cloud to Help Warung Owners Digitalize Their Businesses and Make a Comeback Amidst the Pandemic
Google Cloud accelerates the delivery of a feature-rich technology platform to drive digital inclusion and economic recovery, while Google Workspace is used to empower frontline workers
Jakarta, Indonesia, Feb. 23, 2022 Aksesmu, a retail distribution partner for small businesses that is managed by PT. Sumber Trijaya Lestari, is collaborating with Google Cloud to help local family-owned kiosks or stalls also known as warungs digitalize their operations and forge new revenue streams.
Warungs are the retailers of choice for low- and middle-income households across Indonesia because they sell food and daily necessities at affordable prices, made possible by rent savings from operating within self-owned premises. The main challenge faced by warungs, however, is limited cash flow and inventory space. These are exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic, which has adversely affected 87.5 percent of local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), of which 93.2 percent have experienced a decline in sales, according to Indonesias central bank.
Aksesmu is a digital platform that supports warungs in 28 provinces and 3,071 districts. Built entirely on Google Clouds secure and scalable infrastructure and advanced relational database technology, it acts as a one-stop virtual hypermart that warung owners can access on their mobile phones. A warung owner can simply log in and choose from hundreds of competitively-priced groceries and fast-moving consumer goods before placing an order. Aksesmu then facilitates the same-day delivery of these supplies to the warung from a stock point located within a 10-kilometer radius, at no extra cost.
Aksesmu's mission is to create mutually beneficial partnerships and build an effective product distribution ecosystem for Indonesias micro and small businesses. When inventories are low, warung owners must sometimes close their stalls and travel to wholesalers or markets to buy fresh supplies. This process is time-consuming and results in lost sales. When pandemic movement restrictions made stock replenishments even harder, we felt the need to respond and help warung owners adopt new technologies to grow their livelihoods, said Hans Harischandra, Director, PT. Sumber Trijaya Lestari.
With Google Clouds best-in-class technologies and co-innovation, we have designed a digital platform that is easily accessible and addresses warung owners most urgent needs. We will continue collaborating with Google Cloud to enhance and scale our platform, so that we can accelerate digital inclusion for all 3.6 million warungs scattered across the Indonesian archipelago, said Yosef Risdianto, Commercial General Manager, Aksesmu.
Enabling Reliable and Secure Access Anywhere, on Any DeviceMany warung owners live in rural areas with intermittent internet connectivity. They also often use pay-as-you-go data plans or low-cost smartphones with less storage capacity. By leveraging Googles application development platform and load balancing and caching capabilities, Aksesmu is able to give warung owners a smooth and reliable user experience on any device whether they are accessing its digital platform as a web application or mobile application.
With Googles open and trusted cloud, Aksesmus developer teams can quickly create new features and integrate third-party innovations while ensuring dataflows are encrypted to reduce security risks. To strengthen warung owners cash flow management, for instance, Aksesmu incorporates bookkeeping and pay later services from local fintech players. To give warung owners new revenue streams, Aksesmu interoperates with providers of prepaid mobile top-up services and electricity tokens to allow warungs to sell e-vouchers to customers via its platform.
We continuously release new software updates to benefit warung owners from keeping information up to date to adding new features and helpful content like educational videos on financial management and visual merchandising. Google Clouds Content Delivery Network helps us ensure that warung owners can stream our videos anytime, anywhere. By implementing Google Kubernetes Engine to automate application deployment and upgrades with no downtime, our technical teams can avoid time-consuming manual IT configurations and fully dedicate themselves to product innovation, said Agus Priyanto, IT and Tech Product General Manager, Aksesmu.
To enable secure collaboration and productivity amongst all employees, Aksesmu is also using Google Workspace with solutions spanning Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets, Chat, and Meet. This means that frontline Member Relations Officers can use their devices of choice to communicate with colleagues while on the move and provide assistance when meeting with warung owners to make their onboarding experiences easier and non-intimidating.
As part of the next phase of its collaboration with Google Cloud, Aksesmu is exploring the use of data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to better serve warung owners. Possible use cases include understanding the buying behavior of consumers to recommend new items that warung owners can add to their inventories or display more prominently to increase sales. Aksesmu also aims to help its users list their warung locations using Google My Business, so they can be discovered by nearby consumers using Google Search and Google Maps.
"Indonesia's MSMEs are the lifeblood of our communities, and Aksesmu contributes significantly to our countrys goal of integrating 30 million MSMEs into the digital ecosystem by 2024," said Megawaty Khie, Country Director, Indonesia, Google Cloud. By tapping the best of Google Clouds scalable, open source and secure infrastructure, as well as Google Workspace, Aksesmu has meticulously designed and delivered an accessible and feature-rich platform thats benefitting 100,000 early adopters ahead of its launch. The companys continuous innovation efforts will not only help to protect more warung owners livelihoods and improve their competitiveness, it will also create a robust retail distribution ecosystem to aid Indonesias economic recovery and long-term growth.
About Google CloudGoogle Cloud accelerates organizations ability to digitally transform their business. We deliver enterprise-grade solutions that leverage Googles cutting-edge technology all on the cleanest cloud in the industry. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to enable growth and solve their most critical business problems.
About AksesmuThe name Aksesmu reflects our role in giving small and micro entrepreneurs open and easy access to technology, as well as convenient delivery services and business assistance, to facilitate their business development. Backed by PT. Sumber Trijaya Lestari and its experience in retail distribution, Aksesmu is the trusted partner for helpful services to small and micro entrepreneurs. We are here, ready to serve, assist and grow together. We provide easy access to meet the business needs of all our partners
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Fnac Darty Forms a New Partnership with Google on Data and Cloud to Accelerate its Digital Trajectory and the Execution of its Strategic Plan – Google…
Posted: at 8:04 pm
Fnac Darty Forms a New Partnership with Google on Data and Cloud to Accelerate its Digital Trajectory and the Execution of its Strategic Plan
Ivry and Sunnyvale, Calif, 23 February
Fnac Darty today announced a new partnership with Google that is intended to accelerate Fnac Dartys digital transformation, increase the Groups innovation capabilities through data, and offer customers enhanced products, services and experiences at a time when commerce is undergoing radical change.
The partnership introduces three new innovative streams:
These three innovation streams will be conducted in conjunction with the accelerated migration of Fnac Dartys data to Googles cloud infrastructure.
This partnership is the next step in Fnac Dartys successful and innovative relationship with Google. The two companies have shared values and are pooling their expertise in customized and differentiated services, cutting-edge marketing and advertising technologies, and consumer technology, with a clear omnichannel approach.
Enrique Martinez, CEO of Fnac Darty, said: As a committed player, we care about our customers and want to help them make informed decisions. Through this collaboration on data and cloud with Google, which is the first-of-its-kind in the French retail sector, our customers will enjoy a more fluid, customized and distinctive online shopping experience. It will improve the performance of our websites through an AI-driven web experience that is ever more immersive and effective. As a result, the partnership will allow us to accelerate our digital transformation and continue to deliver on our Everyday plan.
Thomas Kurian, CEO at Google Cloud, said: "Fnac Darty is an iconic brand and an innovator in the retail market. Google and Fnac Darty are long-time partners, and we're proud today to expand our work together through new cloud innovations in data and analytics, artificial intelligence and machine-learning technologies, which will support new omnichannel strategies and customer experiences. Together, we can help define the retail industry of tomorrow."
About Fnac DartyOperating in twelve countries, Fnac Darty is a European leader in the retail of entertainment and leisure products, consumer electronics and household appliances. The Group, which has around 25,000 employees, had a multi-format network of 936 stores at the end of September 2021, including 769 in France, and is ranked as France's second most visited e-commerce site (more than 29 million unique visitors per month) with its 3 merchant sites, fnac.com, darty.com and natureetdecouvertes.com. A leading omnichannel player, Fnac Darty's revenue was nearly 7.5 billion in 2020, approximately 29% of which was realized online. For more information: http://www.fnacdarty.com
About GoogleGoogle's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Google Cloud, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.
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Elon Musk says SpaceXs Starlink satellites active over …
Posted: at 8:03 pm
Elon Musk said Saturday SpaceX's Starlink satellites had been activated in Ukraine, with more terminals en route.
Driving the news: Ukrainian officials requested Musk's help in using his company's commercial internet network after the Russian military's unprovoked military invasion left parts of the country offline.
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Ukrainian First Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov tweeted to Musk Saturday, "while you try to colonize Mars Russia try to occupy Ukraine! While your rockets successfully land from space Russian rockets attack Ukrainian civil people! We ask you to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations and to address sane Russians to stand."
Musk said in response to Federov, who's also digital transformation minister, "Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route."
What to watch: Users on the ground in Ukraine won't be able to access Starlink's signal without their own special receivers the "terminals" Musk referred to in his tweet.
Go deeper: The latest on the Russia-Ukraine crisis
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